Lead is getting harder to get!

[BradCayton]

I also saw lead and wheel weights getting hard to scrounge. 25 years ago, I used to leave empty 5 gal buckets at tire shops in town and stop by to drop off a few Budweiser's in exchange for wheel weights. Those days are long gone.

A few years back I bought probably 5 or 600 pounds of lead and WW from an older fellow who had quit casting and was moving for a very good price. I'm good for a while but am always looking for more.

 

[19 16 6]

I had best take notice of this & do something more about my stock pile while I am still able to easily get lead.
I don't know if the older houses in your area have sliding sash windows. As was mentioned earlier about demolition works producing roofing lead scrap, the window counter weights are usually made of lead as well. Some drainage plumbing from sinks & baths is lead. The heads of some of the old roofing nails are lead. Damp course on brick work is another source.
O.

 

[morb]

I'm glad I live out west, we're not as heavily regulated as you guys out east...yet. There is lots of lead available from the scrap yard here. I just bought 20 lbs of wheel weights for my 9mm and another 20 of roofing lead for the muzzle loader, paid a buck a pound. found some on kijiji awhile ago

 

[larryp]

I buy from Roto-metals. The larger pig ingots have free shipping and are the best buy per lb. Wheel weights around here are all spoken for by a local bullet caster.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Hello Mr. Lardass :grin:
I agree, a few years ago, you could find wheel weights every where.....not anymore :cursing:
Fred

Your not looking in the right place......large tires are still lead.

 

[illuveatar]

I recall a dozen years or so ago I was tasked by a machine shop I was working for to find some lead to cast lead hammers for beating on steel die sets. The local scrap yard had a 500lb slab of lead in a corner and they cut off 20lbs for our needs. I remember the manager offering to sell the whole lot and I kick myself now for not taking him up on the offer.

 

[Greenjoytj]

I buy it from a metal supplier that has lead as one of their metal specialties. Pure lead 50 pounds in 2 pound bars. That will make me well over 1200 balls which will keep me shooting for a long time.

 

[mooman76]

One I forgot to mention is put the word out to everyone you know. You'd be surprised where some of it comes from.

 

[jfaldo]

I buy from Roto-metals. The larger pig ingots have free shipping and are the best buy per lb.

Yep this is where my lead comes from these days. They will always have a sale on major holidays. Next one should be Memorial Day. Don't have time to go scrounging and besides where I live anything saved would be eaten up in gas. I will only use 99% pure lead as most of it goes to making Sharps bullets. Think lead is getting expensive then take a look at tin,ouch.

 

[bendjoseph]

Well any metal that you can melt and mold can make a bullet.
None of the metals are as good as lead, but I am pretty sure a large caliber hole in a bambi will work regardless of the metal that did the damage.

Roundballs experiments with brass roundballs shows the proof to that idea.

I am having 100 .54 caliber balls made out of pure copper. I will post the results.

 

[user 2647]

if you have any performance shops around you can get lead from them, used in stock and drag cars for ballast.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I think what you meant to say is that Free Lead is getting harder to find.

Otherwise, Rotometals has all the soft lead that you will ever need, and also several bullet alloys.

 

[Rick Boylan]

I've had some luck buying it from others on eBay. I currently have 40 pounds of it getting ready to cast some .45 RBs.

 

[jfaldo]

Bought some off Ebay a couple times. It's real hit or miss though. A lot of people who say they have pure lead really have no clue what they are selling. Some of it was, some not even close.

 

[Birddog6]

I've had no issues buying it. I go to the scrap yard once a year & sell all my brass & aluminum & I always ask for pure lead. Couple years ago I bought a counterweight that was encased in steel. Took it to the shop, took a torch & cut two sides off & hit it with a sledge & it all fell out in one lump. Got 500# of pure lead out of it for .25 a # ! Picked it up with a forklift & Melted/sliced it into 75# chunks I could handle, melting lead went into ingot molds I had under it.

I have lead stored I bought 30 yrs ago & have not used up. Anytime I am at a place it is free or cheap, I get it. I have more than I will ever use or my boys will ever use.

EVERY time I buy a set of tires, I make the guy tire dealer throw in a 5 gal bucket of wheel weights & I make them load it, cause I can't lift it or out of the trunk ! Get home & split the load in 2 buckets & I can move it ! :wink:

Keith Lisle

PS: They cut up an old rail crane at a local plant I was working in, and when they got to the base it has pure lead 100# ingots in it that said PERU 1940 embossed in them. 24 TONS of pure lead ingots. They all were shipped to China. I tried to buy some of it but it was All or None, the scrap dealer told me.
24 tons of it was a just tad past my storage capacity. :idunno: :rotf:

 

[PaulN/KS]

Well any metal that you can melt and mold can make a bullet.
None of the metals are as good as lead, but I am pretty sure a large caliber hole in a bambi will work regardless of the metal that did the damage.

Roundballs experiments with brass roundballs shows the proof to that idea.

I am having 100 .54 caliber balls made out of pure copper. I will post the results.

The Mexican Army used copper for cannon balls during the Mexican-American War so there is a historical precedent. Looking forward to your report of results. :hmm:

 

[Mort Scott]

i had a foundry for years am buying metal was something i did ,any metal, i now have 300 lbs of soft lead stocked lots of silver, i knew metal was going up in price all the time now i look back, it was a good move on my part. no nothing is fir sale would share some of my lead with friends. also cast a bronze cannon with some of my bronze i had. good shooting folks

 

[Okie Hog]

My substantial lead supply came from a roofer who is subbed to my contractor son.

Roofers almost always have lead stacks they have removed during re-roofing jobs.

 

[Spruce]

I go down to the metal recyclers and purchase scrape roofing lead. It's the vent stacks on roofs. About $ 0.70 per lb where I live.